Automatic counting device for playing cards

ABSTRACT

An automatic counting device ( 10 ) for playing cards comprising a body ( 12 ) defined by a box-like element internally to which the playing cards to be scored pass through, a compartment or hopper ( 14 ) for accommodating the playing cards to be scored organized into a pack ( 22 ), a further compartment ( 16 ) for receiving and accumulating the scored cards, also organized into a further pack ( 22′ ), dragging and moving means for dragging and moving the cards from the compartment or hopper ( 14 ) to the further compartment ( 16 ), and means suitable for identifying the values of the cards in order to process their score, a user interface ( 18 ), and connection means ( 20 ), if any, for connecting to peripherals or storage systems; the device also being characterized in that it comprises a central unit ( 30 ) suitable for receiving the data detected by the means suitable for identifying the values of the cards and for processing them.

The present invention refers to an automatic counting device for playingcards.

More specifically, the present invention refers to an automatic countingdevice for playing cards, especially suitable for calculating the scoreassociated with the cards in a specific game.

It is known that in card games such as, for instance, burako, canasta,or even scala 40 (a kind of rummy), trump, or other games such as bridgeand the like, are organized into single or multiple rounds (alsoreferred to as “hands”) and entail a calculation of the score reached atthe end of the round in order to declare the winner of each individualround (or the winners, in the case of couple rounds).

Typically, the calculation of the score is made manually and, morespecifically, in his/her mind by summing up the values associated withthe individual cards as a function of the specific card game and, ifnecessary, writing down the progressive scores on paper sheets.

However, such scoring operation might be simple for some games such as,for instance, “scala 40” or trump, whereas it might be more complex inthe case of games such as burako, bridge, or the like.

Therefore, it might happen that the score calculation has to be repeatedseveral times because a card had not been considered or the person whocalculated the scores let his/her mind wander or, more trivially,because his/her calculations are not right and, consequently, a newscore calculation is necessary.

All of this represents a drawback in terms of waste of time spent incalculating the scores, a time that is unavoidably substracted from thetrue playing time.

A further drawback consists in that score calculation might lead aplayer to losing his/her concentration.

A further drawback is bound to the fact that, in some cases, a loserplayer is not convinced of the final score and requests a new scorecalculation and this, besides entailing a waste of time, might even leadto misunderstandings or quarrels between the players.

An object of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks mentionedabove.

More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide anautomatic counting device for playing cards.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automaticcounting device that allows to calculate the score of a card gamequickly and accurately.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automaticcounting device suitable for allowing to score packs of cards ofdifferent suits (for instance French, Italian or, further, Spanishsuits).

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automaticcounting device suitable for calculating the scores of the cards as afunction of the specific type of game in progress.

A last and further object of the present invention is to put at theusers' disposal an automatic counting device for playing cards suitablefor guaranteeing a high durability and reliability over time and alsosuch as to be easily and cost-effectively implemented.

These objects and others are achieved by the invention that exhibits thecharacteristics according to claim 1.

According to the invention, an automatic counting device for playingcards is provided, which comprises a body defined by a box-like elementinternally to which the playing cards to be scored pass through, acompartment or hopper for accommodating the playing cards to be scored,organized into a pack, a further compartment for receiving andaccumulating the scored cards, also organized into a further pack,dragging and moving means for dragging and moving the cards from theinput compartment or hopper to the further card output compartment, andmeans suitable for identifying the values of the cards in order toprocess their scores, a user interface, and connection means, if any,for connecting to peripherals or storage systems, the device also beingcharacterized in that it comprises a central unit suitable for receivingthe data detected by means suitable for identifying the values of thecards and processing them.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are apparent from thedependent claims.

The constructional and functional characteristics of the automaticcounting device for playing cards according to the present invention canbe better understood from the following detailed description, in whichreference is made to the attached drawings which illustrate a preferred,non-limitative embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows an axonometric view of the automatic countingdevice for playing cards of the present invention;

FIG. 2 schematically shows an axonometric view of the automatic countingdevice for playing cards of the present invention while the cards arebeing scored;

FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of a circuit of the device accordingto the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram concerning a use of the cardcounting device.

With reference to the mentioned figures, the automatic counting devicefor playing cards according to the present invention, identified by thereference numeral 10 as a whole in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a body 12defined by a box-like element, internally to which the playing cards tobe scored pass through, a compartment or hopper 14 for accommodating thecards to be scored organized into a pack 22 (FIG. 2), a furthercompartment 16 for receiving and accumulating the scored cards, alsoorganized into a further pack 22′, a user interface 18, and connectionmeans 20, if any, defined by serial communication interfaces, forconnecting to peripherals or storage systems or the like.

The body 12 houses the dragging and moving means used to drag and movethe cards from the compartment or hopper 14 to the further compartment16 and means suitable for identifying the values of the cards in orderto process their scores.

The dragging and moving means, not shown in the figures (because known),comprise rollers or belts which pick-up one card of the pack 22 at atime (i.e. they perform an operation equivalent to manually “fanning”the cards) and drag it in correspondence with the identification means,also not shown and suitable for identifying the value associated witheach individual card.

The mentioned identification means typically comprise at least oneoptical detector suitable for reading the images of the cards (forinstance an ace, a jack, or the like) and its suit (for instance theItalian, French, Spanish, Japanese, etc. suit) printed on the card andfor sending it to a central unit which calculates the value associatedwith each individual card identified by the optical detector.

The optical detector is typically defined by an image or optical sensor,for instance of the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (ComplementaryMetal Oxyde Semiconductor) type with, for instance, the use of the ETTR(Expose To The Right) technique, i.e. with a technique that incrementsthe exposure of the image in order to collect as much light as possibleand to increment the performances of the optical sensor, andconsequently a correct identification of the image.

With reference to the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, theuser interface 18 comprises, a display screen 18′ and a keyboard 18″;the function of the display screen 18′ is to enable a user (in this casea player) to display the score associated with the cards processed bythe device according to the invention (to this end, said screen includesa user interface), whereas the function of the keyboard 18″ is to enablethe user to set the scoring parameters (for instance, as a function ofthe type of game or of the type of cards or suit of cards used) and tomove internally to the interface of the display screen itself.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the keyboard 18″ might beintegral, as a digital keyboard, with the display screen 18′ which, forinstance, might be a tactile screen or a touch screen.

The connection interfaces 20, if any, comprise, for instance, an USB(Universal Serial Bus) port or another, known serial communicationinterface for adding an external storage device or for connecting toperipherals of another type (printer or the like).

The device according to the invention also comprises a central unit 30suitable for receiving the data detected by an optical sensor 31,processing it, and sending it to the display screen 18′.

Said central unit 30 comprises a processor unit 32 and one or severalmemories 34 (34′), the latter containing the data relevant to thevarious types of suits of cards and to the various types of card games(in particular, the scoring rules and scores associated with theindividual cards are stored therein) and a further memory 36, if any, inwhich the results of the processing made by the processor unit 32 aresaved.

The processor unit 32 processes the optical readings made by the opticalsensor 31 in terms of score associated with the processed cards andsends such data item to the display screen 18′ and to the further memoryunit 36, if any (if so requested by a user).

An algorithm 38 (of the comparison type) makes it possible for theprocessor unit 32 to identify the type of playing card and itsrespective score, thanks to the fact that said algorithm compares thedata (i.e. the images) detected by the optical sensor 31 to the contentsof the storage 34, which contains the information relevant to the typesof cards (in fact, the algorithm queries the storage and makes acomparison of dots of the image detected by the optical sensor with thecorresponding dots of the images saved in the memory 34) and associatesthe contents of the memory 34′, i.e. the value of the card as a functionof the type of game therewith, also in this case by way of a query tothe memory 34′.

According to alternative embodiments, the mentioned algorithm 38 mightimplement neural networks.

A user might interface to the central unit 30 via a keyboard 18″ and setthe type of game and the type of cards to be scored.

The score data stored in the further memory 36 can be used by theprocessor unit to draw up a list of the scores relevant to theindividual rounds, a list that is displayed on the display screen 18′.

A user can save the results of the rounds on an external storage deviceor on similar media, by way of a connection interface 20, if any,thereby being it possible to maintain a file with the history of therounds played and their respective scores or, alternatively, the resultsof the rounds might be sent to a remote device (such as a tablet,smartphone, or the like) wirelessly, by using data transmission meansfor wireless networks of the Bluetooth, 3G, or 4G type or the Wi-Finetwork, and said remote device, via an expressly developed softwareprogram, will make it possible to display and process the results of theround(s) of the card game.

The use of an automatic counting device for card games according to theinvention, as described above with reference to its structuralcharacteristics, is explained below.

A user (a player) puts a pack 22 of cards to be scored in thecompartment or hopper 14, sets the type or suit of cards and the type ofgame for which score calculation is requested via an (analog or digital)keyboard, and starts the device.

The counting device, via the card dragging and moving means, “fans” thecards one by one and moves them towards the further output compartment16 by making them pass through in correspondence with the optical sensor31 which scans the image of the playing card and sends it to the centralunit 30, wherein said card is identified, and a related score or valueis associated therewith on the basis of the type of game set by theuser.

The central unit 30 recognizes the card by way of the algorithm 38 andassociates its respective value therewith, processes the scores orvalues of the individual cards detected by the sensor, and calculatesthe total score associated with the pack of cards 22 on the basis ofeach specific game; the value for the score is sent to the displayscreen 18′ and is stored in the memory 36, if any, if applicable or ifso set.

The user, after calculating the score of the mentioned pack of cards,can proceed further and calculating the score of the further pack ofcards of another player involved in the game; the different scores ofthe different score calculations made are stored in the memory of thecentral unit 30 and displayed on the display screen 18′ for displayingthe scores relevant to a hand of cards.

The scores of the individual rounds are stored by the device in afurther memory 36 and can be displayed on the display screen 18′ fordisplaying the scores relevant to a sequence of hands (for instancethree rounds) which make up a specific card game.

With reference to FIG. 4, this one schematically shows a typical use ofthe automatic counting device of the invention in a playing cardtournament context.

As a matter of fact, FIG. 4 schematically shows the use of severalautomatic counting devices 10 (a number “n” of said counting devices)organized into a network, distinct from each other and arranged incorrespondence with different card tables present in one and the sameroom or in different rooms of one and the same location or of differentlocations, each of said counting devices being in communication with acentral processor 40 by a link through the internet network or anotherknown data communication means, so as to define a network, the mentionedcentral processor collecting the scoring data of the individual countingdevices 10 and displaying it on a central screen 42 which basicallydefines a scoreboard suitable for showing a list of the scores of theindividual card tables that each individual counting device isassociated with.

Moreover, the central processor 40 is able to send to the individualdevices 10 the global scores relevant to the individual tables involvedin the tournament, being it possible to display said global scores onthe display screens 18′ of the individual counting devices 10.

Apparent are from the foregoing the advantages achievable by theautomatic counting device for playing cards according to the presentinvention.

The automatic counting device for playing cards according to the presentinvention advantageously makes it possible to simplify and speed up thecalculation of the scores associated with the cards used in a specificcard game; as a matter of fact, a user shall simply put a pack of cardsin the device, which takes care of scoring it.

A further advantage of the counting device according to the inventionconsists in that such automatic scoring zeroes the possibilities oferrors in score calculation and avoids the need for repeatedly checkingthe calculated scores which, on one hand, extends the times of therounds and, on the other hands, increases the possibilities or errors incalculating the scores (resulting from player's distractions, nerves, ortiredness, or the like).

Further advantageous is the fact that the device according to theinvention can be connected in a network for managing the calculation ofthe scores of the rounds of card game during a card tournament.

Whereas the invention has been described here above with reference toone embodiment thereof, provided for explanatory, non-limitativepurposes only, numerous modifications and variants will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in the light of the above description.Therefore, the present invention aims at embracing all modifications andvariants that fall within the scope of the following claims.

1. An automatic counting device (10) for playing cards comprising a body(12) defined by a box-like element internally to which the playing cardsto be scored pass through, a compartment or hopper (14) for housing theplaying cards to be scored organized into a pack (22), a furthercompartment (16) for receiving and accumulating the scored cards, alsoorganized into a further pack (22′), mechanical dragging and movingmeans for dragging and moving the cards from the compartment or hopper(14) to the further compartment (16), and characterized in that itcomprises at least one optical detector or optical sensor (31) suitablefor reading the image of the card and the suit printed thereon and forsending the detected information to a central unit (30) suitable forreceiving the data detected by said at least one optical detector oroptical sensor (31) and for processing it, a user interface (18) andconnection means (20), if any, comprising serial communicationinterfaces for connecting to peripherals or storage systems, and datatransmission means for wireless networks for communicating with a remotedevice.
 2. The counting device according to claim 1, characterized inthat the dragging and moving means for dragging and moving the cardsfrom the compartment of hopper (14) to the further compartment (16)comprise rollers or belts suitable for picking-up or “fanning” oneplaying card at a time from the pack (22) and for driving it incorrespondence with the identification means.
 3. The counting deviceaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the optical detector orsensor (31) is of the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (ComplementaryMetal Oxyde Semiconductor) type with a possible use of an ETTR (ExposeTo The Right) technique.
 4. The counting device according claim 1,characterized in that the user interface (18) comprises a display screen(18′) and a keyboard (18″).
 5. The counting device according to claim 4,characterized in that the display screen (18′) is a touch-screen one andsupplements the keyboard (18″).
 6. The counting device according toclaim 1, characterized in that the central unit (30) comprises aprocessor unit (32), one or more memories (34, 34′) suitable for storingthe data relevant to the various types or suits of cards and to thevarious types of card games, a further memory (36), if any, wherein theresults of the processing made by the processor unit (32) are stored,said processor unit (32) processing the optical readings made by theoptical sensor (31) in terms of score associated with the processedcards, the display screen being suitable for displaying said scorevalues and for storing them in the further storage unit (36), saidprocessing being performed by way of an algorithm (38) which enables theprocessor unit (32) to recognize the type of playing card and itsrespective score by way of a query made to the memory (34, 34′).
 7. Thecounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that theconnection means (20) comprise serial communication interfaces such asan USB (Universal Serial Bus) port for adding a physical device such asan external memory or for connecting to peripherals of other types(printer or the like).
 8. The counting device according to claim 1,characterized in that the communication means for communicating with aremote device are of the Wi-Fi o Bluetooth type or the like for acommunication with a remote device.
 9. The counting device according toclaim 1, wherein its operation comprises the following steps: puttingthe pack (22) of cards to be scored into the compartment or hopper (14),setting the type or suit of cards and the type of game for which scorecalculation is required, and starting the device; “fanning” the cards byway of the card dragging and moving means and moving said cards incorrespondence with the optical sensor (31) towards the further outputcompartment (16), said sensor scanning the image of the playing card andsending it to the central unit (30); making the processor unit (32)recognize the card and assign its respective score on the basis of thetype of game by way of the algorithm (38) which compares the datadetected by the optical sensor (31) with the contents of the memories(34, 34′); sending the score to the user interface (18) and displayingit on the display screen (18′); and storing it, if any, in the memory(36), if any.
 10. A network formed of “n” automatic counting devicesaccording to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a centralprocessor which collects the score data from the individual devices (10)and displays it on a central screen (42), and/or said central processor(40) being able to send to the individual devices (10) the global scoresrelevant to the individual devices (10) in order for them to bedisplayed on the user interface (18) of each individual device (10),said devices (10) being distinct from each other and located indifferent positions.